Network information collection and analysis of a plurality of mobile networks

ABSTRACT

An approach for network information collection and analysis of a plurality of mobile networks is provided. The approach receives a first request message including a first threshold sent from an application server. The approach sends a second request message to at least one network function. The approach receives a congestion report from the at least one network function which monitors for a change in a congestion status related to a base station that is crossing a second threshold. The approach derives a network information by combining the congestion report. The approach sends the network information to the application server, the first threshold indicating a range of the network information at which the application server wishes to be informed of the network information.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/912,975 filed Feb. 19, 2016, which is a National Stage ofInternational Application No. PCT/JP2014/003299 filed Jun. 19, 2014,claiming priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-172652filed Aug. 22, 2013, the contents of all of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an information collection system, and,for example, relates to an information collection system having aplurality of networks.

BACKGROUND ART

Various services are provided to mobile communication devices such asmobile phone terminals by service providers different from mobiletelecommunications carriers today. With an increase in service providersdifferent from mobile telecommunications carriers, there is an advantagethat provided services are diversified and users can receive a widevariety of services.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a system that provides a service to amobile information terminal by coordination of a sensor, the mobileinformation terminal and an application server. To be specific, themobile information terminal acquires a plurality of sensor information.Further, the mobile information terminal sends the acquired sensorinformation to the application server. Then, the application servergenerates advice information based on the sensor information sent fromthe mobile information terminal and sends it to the mobile informationterminal. The mobile information terminal can thereby receive an adviceservice based on the sensor information.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

PTL: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-165112

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

In service provision using a server provided by a third party such as anapplication server, it is desired to provide a service using variousinformation, not only information sent from a mobile terminal. Onepossible example is to provide a service in a server provided by a thirdparty by using network information or the like held by a mobiletelecommunications carrier. Another possible example is to provide aservice by using a variety of network information including networkinformation or the like held by those other than a mobiletelecommunications carrier, such as a fixed telecommunications carrier,for example. However, there is a problem that an application server orthe like does not have a configuration to flexibly collect networkinformation or the like from a plurality of networks such as theexisting mobile communication network and fixed telecommunicationscarrier.

To solve the above problem, an exemplary object of the present inventionis to provide an information collection system, a service platform, acommunication terminal, an information collection method and a programthat can collect a variety of network information.

Solution to Problem

An information collection system according to a first exemplary aspectof the present invention includes a service platform that is connectedto a plurality of networks and collects network information held by theplurality of networks, and an application server that notifies theservice platform of a collection policy of the network information,wherein the service platform collects the network information from atleast one network satisfying the collection policy among the pluralityof networks, and sends the collected network information or serviceinformation generated based on the collected network information to theapplication server.

A service platform according to a second exemplary aspect of the presentinvention includes network information collection means connected to aplurality of networks, for collecting network information held by theplurality of networks, and policy setting means for receiving acollection policy of the network information sent from an applicationserver, wherein the network information collection means collects thenetwork information from at least one network satisfying the collectionpolicy among the plurality of networks, and sends the collected networkinformation or service information generated based on the collectednetwork information to the application server.

An information collection method according to a third exemplary aspectof the present invention includes receiving collection policy of networkinformation sent from an application server, collecting the networkinformation from at least one network satisfying the collection policyamong a plurality of networks, and sending the collected networkinformation or service information generated based on the collectednetwork information to the application server.

A program according to a fourth exemplary aspect of the presentinvention causes a computer to perform a step of receiving collectionpolicy of network information sent from an application server, a step ofcollecting the network information from at least one network satisfyingthe collection policy among a plurality of networks, and a step ofsending the collected network information or service informationgenerated based on the collected network information to the applicationserver.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the above-described exemplary aspects of the presentinvention, it is possible to provide an information collection system, aservice platform, a communication terminal, an information collectionmethod and a program that can collect a variety of network information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information collection system accordingto a first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a service platform according to a secondexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a flow of an information collectionprocess according to the second exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a flow of an information collectionprocess according to a third exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a flow of an information collectionprocess according to a fourth exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a flow of an information collectionprocess according to a sixth exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a mobile communication network according toa seventh exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a mobile communication network according toan eighth exemplary embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS First Exemplary Embodiment

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described hereinafterwith reference to the drawings. An information collection system in FIG.1 includes a service platform 10, an application server (AS) 20, andnetworks 31 to 33. The service platform 10 is connected with thenetworks 31 to 33. The service platform 10 collects network informationheld by the networks 31 to 33. Further, communication terminals 21 to 23that are managed or operated by the AS 20 are connected to the networks31 to 33.

The networks 31 to 33 may be a mobile communication network managed by amobile telecommunications carrier, a fixed communication network managedby a fixed telecommunications carrier or the like, for example.Alternatively, the networks 31 to 33 may be an Internet Service Provider(ISP) network managed by an Internet service provider that providesInternet connection to users. The mobile communication network may be anetwork specified by the 3GPP, for example, or a network specified byanother standardizing body.

The networks 31 to 33 may be networks of the same type with differentnetwork operators. For example, the network 31 may be a mobilecommunication network managed by an operator A, the network 32 may be amobile communication network managed by an operator B, and the network33 may be a mobile communication network managed by an operator C.

Alternatively, the networks 31 to 33 may be networks of different typesfrom one another. For example, the network 31 may be a mobilecommunication network, the network 32 may be a fixed communicationnetwork, and the network 33 may be an ISP network.

Alternatively, the networks 31 and 32 may be networks of the same type,and the network 33 may be a network of a different type from thenetworks 31 and 32.

The network information may be information that is unique to a nodedevice that constitutes each network which is determined according toprocessing performed by the node device. To be specific, the informationunique to a node device may be CPU information of the node device,memory information, information about the amount of signals (traffic)processed, information about the number of communication terminalsconnected at the same time to the node device and the like.Alternatively, the network information may be information indicating thedegree of congestion in the respective networks 31 to 33. For example,the degree of congestion in the network may be determined based on CPUinformation of each node device, traffic and the like. The degree ofcongestion may be information indicating a network congestion state.Further, the network information may be an estimated time taken toeliminate network congestion. Furthermore, the network information maybe information indicating the bandwidth available in each network.

Further, the network information may be information related to thecommunication terminals 21 to 23 that are connected to the respectivenetworks. To be specific, information about the communication terminalsthat are connected to the networks may be the position information ofthe communication terminals that are connected to the respectivenetworks or information about the amount of data sent and received bythe communication terminals.

The AS 20 notifies the service platform 10 of a network informationcollection policy. The collection policy is information that specifies anode device from which the network information is to be collected, thecommunication terminals 21 to 23 from which the network information isto be collected, timing to collect the network information and the like.

The service platform 10 collects the network information from at leastone network that satisfies the collection policy notified from the AS 20among the networks 31 to 33. Further, the service platform 10 sends thecollected network information or service information generated based onthe collected network information to the AS 20. The service platform 10may be configured using one server device, for example, or using aplurality of server devices.

The network that satisfies the collection policy notified from the AS 20is a network that is connected to the communication terminal which isset as a target to collect information in the collection policy, anetwork that includes the node device which is set as a target tocollect information in the collection policy and the like. In otherwords, the network that satisfies the collection policy notified fromthe AS 20 is a network that stores information required by the AS 20.

The service information generated based on the collected networkinformation is information generated by processing the collected networkinformation. For example, the service information may be analysisinformation of a plurality of collected network information orstatistical information of a plurality of collected network information.

As described above, in the information collection system according tothe first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the serviceplatform 10 that is connected to a plurality of networks is connected toa plurality of networks.

Further, the service platform 10 can collect network informationaccording to the network information collection policy notified from theAS 20. In this manner, the service platform 10 can collect the networkinformation from a plurality of networks to which it is connected.Therefore, the service platform 10 can collect a variety of networkinformation and send the collected information to the AS 20. The AS 20can thereby provide a service using a variety of collected information.

Further, although the AS 20 and the communication terminals 21 to 23 aredifferent devices in the example shown in FIG. 1, the communicationterminals 21 to 23 may have the function related to the AS 20.Specifically, the communication terminals 21 to 23 may notify theservice platform 10 of the network information collection policy and mayfurther acquire the service information from the service platformthrough the connected networks.

Second Exemplary Embodiment

A detailed configuration example of a service platform 10 according to asecond exemplary embodiment of the present invention is describedhereinafter with reference to FIG. 2. The service platform 10 includes apolicy setting unit 11 and a network information collection unit 12.

The policy setting unit 11 receives the collection policy notified fromthe AS 20. The policy setting unit 11 stores the received collectionpolicy into a memory or the like. Further, the policy setting unit 11outputs the received collection policy to the network informationcollection unit 12.

The network information collection unit 12 receives the collectionpolicy that is output from the policy setting unit 11. The networkinformation collection unit 12 selects the network that satisfies thecollection policy output from the policy setting unit 11 among thenetworks 31 to 33. The network information collection unit 12 may selectone network that satisfies the collection policy output from the policysetting unit 11 or may select a plurality of networks that satisfy thecollection policy. The network information collection unit 12 collectsthe network information from the selected network based on thecollection policy output from the policy setting unit 11. Further, thenetwork information collection unit 12 sends the collected networkinformation to the AS 20. Alternatively, the network informationcollection unit 12 sends the service information generated based on thecollected network information to the AS 20.

The collection policy is information that specifies a node device fromwhich the network information is to be collected, a communicationterminal from which the network information is to be collected, timingto collect the network information and the like as described above.

For example, information about the timing to collect the networkinformation may be information about a time to collect the networkinformation or information about a time interval to collect the networkinformation such as collecting the network information every some hoursor every some minutes. Alternatively, the timing to collect the networkinformation may be the timing when the service platform 10 receives amessage about a request for network information collection from the AS20.

Further, the collection policy may include a policy stating that networkinformation is collected at the timing when the network information tobe collected changes. For example, in the case where the serviceplatform 10 collects the position information of a specificcommunication terminal as the network information, it may be specifiedin the collection policy that the position information of the targetcommunication terminal is collected at the timing when the positioninformation of the target communication terminal changes.

As another example, in the case where the service platform 10 collectsthe communication quality in the networks 31 to 33, it may be specifiedin the collection policy that information about the communicationquality after change is collected at the timing when the communicationquality changes. The communication quality may be information about adelay time, a data loss rate, a line usage rate or the like in thenetwork held by each node device, for example. The node device fromwhich information about the communication quality is to be collected maybe specified by the collection policy.

As yet another example, in the case where the service platform 10collects CPU information, memory information or the like of the nodedevice that constitutes each of the networks 31 to 33, it may bespecified in the collection policy that CPU information, memoryinformation or the like is collected when a CPU usage rate exceeds acertain threshold or at the timing when a memory usage exceeds a certainthreshold. The node device from which CPU information, memoryinformation or the like is to be collected may be specified by thecollection policy. Further, the service platform 10 may collectinformation from the networks 31 to 33 at the timing when congestion ineach of the networks 31 to 33 is eliminated. The elimination ofcongestion may be the elimination of the network congestion state, forexample.

The service platform 10 may be notified from each network that thenetwork information has changed. For example, the networks 31 to 33 maymanage the position information of the communication terminals, and whenthe position information of the communication terminal changes, notifythe service platform 10 of the fact that the position information of thecommunication terminal has changed. Further, when the communicationquality changes, the networks 31 to 33 may notify the service platform10 of a change in the communication quality. Alternatively, the nodedevice in each of the networks may autonomously notify the serviceplatform 10 of congestion information when the congestion state isdetected. The congestion state may be a state where the congestion ofthe whole network is detected or may be a state where the communicationterminal that sends and receives data exceeding a predetermined amountof data is detected.

When the network information collection unit 12 detects the collectiontiming that is set in the collection policy, it collects the networkinformation in accordance with the collection policy output from thepolicy setting unit 11.

The timing when the network information collection unit 12 outputs thenetwork information or the service information generated based on thenetwork information to the AS 20 is described hereinbelow. The networkinformation collection unit 12 may send the collected networkinformation or the generated service information to the AS 20 each timecollecting the network information or each time generating the serviceinformation.

Alternatively, the network information collection unit 12 may determinethe timing to send the network information or the service information tothe AS 20 based on the collection policy notified from the AS 20.

For example, the AS 20 may set the timing when the network informationcollection unit 12 sends the network information or the serviceinformation to the AS 20 in the collection policy. For example, the AS20 may specify in the collection policy that the network information orthe service information is notified to the AS 20 when the amount ofnetwork information collected by the network information collection unit12 exceeds a certain threshold.

Alternatively, the AS 20 may specify in the collection policy that thenetwork information or the service information is notified to the AS 20when the number of times when the network information collection unit 12collects the network information exceeds a certain threshold.

Alternatively, the AS 20 may specify in the collection policy that thenetwork information or the service information is notified to the AS 20when a fee to use the network which is charged in the network when thenetwork information collection unit 12 collects the network informationexceeds a certain threshold.

Information that is sent from the service platform 10 to the AS 20 isspecifically described hereinbelow. The service platform 10 sends thecollected network information or the generated service information tothe AS 20 as described above. Further, the service information may beanalysis information of a plurality of collected network information orstatistical information of a plurality of collected network information,for example.

For example, analysis information of network information when positioninformation of a communication terminal is collected as the networkinformation is described first. When the network for which the networkinformation is to be collected is a mobile communication network, theservice platform 10 may collect base station information that manages anarea where the communication terminal is located as the positioninformation of the communication terminal, for example. In this case, itis difficult for the AS 20 to grasp the position information of thecommunication terminal even when the AS 20 receives information aboutthe base station from the service platform 10. This is because it isoften the case that the AS 20 does not have information about the placewhere the base station is installed. Thus, the network informationcollection unit 12 may convert the collected base station informationinto address information where the base station is installed, and sendthe address information to the AS 20. In this case, the analysisinformation of the network information corresponds to the addressinformation converted from the base station information.

Statistical information of network information when data traffic perunit time is collected as the network information is described first.For example, when the network information collection unit 12 collectsinformation about data traffic per unit time from the network 31, itaccumulates the collected information. The network informationcollection unit 12 may add up the accumulated information about datatraffic to calculate total data traffic of one day, for example.Alternatively, the network information collection unit 12 may extractdata traffic at a specified time of one day for one week. The serviceplatform 10 may generate statistical information about the transition oftotal data traffic of one day or data traffic at a specified time of oneday and send it to the AS 20.

Further, the service platform 10 may include a prediction unit thatpredicts future data traffic by using statistical information about thetransition of past data traffic and send the predicted information tothe AS 20. For example, when the service platform 10 detects that theamount of traffic increases rapidly at 2:00 PM of one day with a highfrequency, it may send prediction information indicating that the amountof traffic will increase rapidly at 2:00 PM on a certain day of the weekin the figure to the AS 20.

Another specific example of information that is sent from the serviceplatform 10 to the AS 20 is described next.

For example, when the service platform 10 notifies the AS 20 of thenetwork information or the like based on an excess of the amount ofcollected network information, an excess of the number of times ofcollecting network information or an excess of a network usage fee orthe like, the service platform 10 may further notify the AS 20 ofinformation to inquire whether or not to continue the collection ofnetwork information. It may be assumed in this example that therespective networks 31 to 33 do charging according to the amount ofcollected network information, the number of times of collecting networkinformation or the like. When the AS 20 receives information to inquirewhether or not to continue the collection of network information, itsends information indicating continuation of the collection of networkinformation or discontinuation of the collection of network informationto the service platform 10 according to input information from a userwho uses the AS 20.

Further, the network information collection unit 12 of the serviceplatform 10 collects the network information from various networks suchas networks with different operators or networks of different types.Therefore, in the network information collection unit 12, there is acase where the format or the like of the collected network informationis different even when the content of the information is the same. Insuch a case, when the network information in different formats arecollected from the respective networks, the network informationcollection unit 12 may convert them to the network information in acommon format and send the converted network information to the AS 20.

A flow of an information collection process in the informationcollection system is described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 3.First, the AS 20 sends a network information collection request messageto the service platform 10 (S11). For example, the AS 20 sets thecollection policy indicating the collection of position information of acertain communication terminal to the network information collectionrequest message. A certain communication terminal may be a vehiclehaving a communication function to communicate with a base station orthe like, for example. For example, the AS 20 collects the positioninformation of a vehicle when it is desired to find the position of thevehicle with a pack.

Next, the service platform 10 selects the network that satisfies thecollection policy sent from the AS 20 among the networks 31 to 33 (S12).For example, the service platform 10 selects the network to which thecommunication terminal that is specified as a target to collect theposition information in the collection policy is connected. Whenselecting the network, the service platform 10 may send a message toinquire whether or not it is connected to the communication terminalspecified in the collection policy to the networks 31 to 33 and identifythe network to which the specified communication terminal is connectedby using response signals sent from the networks 31 to 33.Alternatively, the service platform 10 may acquire informationindicating the relationship between a communication terminal and anetwork to which the communication terminal is connected from each ofthe networks and store the acquired information.

Then, the service platform 10 sends a network information collectionmessage to a node device in the selected network in order to collect thenetwork information specified in the collection policy (S13). Forexample, the service platform 10 collects the position information ofthe communication terminal that is specified as a target to collect thenetwork information.

After that, the node device in the network sends a network informationnotification message in order to send the specified network informationto the service platform 10 (S14). For example, the node device in thenetwork may send, as the position information of a communicationterminal, area information that identifies an area where thecommunication terminal is located or send GPS information indicating theposition information of the communication terminal. Then, the serviceplatform 10 generates statistical information or analysis information asservice information by using the network information sent from the nodedevice (S15). For example, the service platform 10 converts the positioninformation collected from the node device into address information on amap so that the position information can be easily recognized in the AS20.

Then, the service platform 10 sends a network information collectionrequest response message to which the generated service information isset (S16). The AS 20 can easily find the current position of thecommunication terminal by receiving the address information indicatingthe position of the communication terminal from the service platform 10,for example.

As described above, by using the information collection system accordingto the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the serviceplatform 10 can select an appropriate network and collect networkinformation according to the collection policy notified from the AS 20.

Further, the AS 20 can set the timing to collect network information,the type of network information to be collected and the like to thecollection policy, and it is thereby possible to collect requiredinformation through the service platform 10.

Third Exemplary Embodiment

A flow of an information collection process in an information collectionsystem according to a third exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention is described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 4. First, theAS 20 sends a network information collection request message to theservice platform 10 (S21). For example, the AS 20 sets the collectionpolicy indicating the collection of position information of a certaincommunication terminal to the network information collection requestmessage. Further, the AS 20 sets information about position informationcollection timing to the network information collection request message.The information about position information collection timing may beinformation about a time to collect position information, for example.

Next, the service platform 10 selects the network that satisfies thecollection policy sent from the AS 20 among the networks 31 to 33, likein Step S12 of FIG. 3 (S22).

Then, the service platform 10 sends a network information collectionopportunity notification message to a node device in the selectednetwork in order to collect the network information specified in thecollection policy (S23). The service platform 10 sets information aboutthe communication terminal as a target to collect the positioninformation and information about the timing to collect the positioninformation to the network information collection opportunitynotification message.

Next, the node device determines whether the position informationcollection timing sent from the service platform 10 comes or not (S24).For example, the node device compares the position informationcollection timing sent from the service platform 10 with the currenttime and determines whether the current time is the collection timingset in the collection policy.

When the node device determines that it is the collection timing in StepS24, the node device collects the network information. When, on theother hand, the node device determines that it is not the collectiontiming in Step S24, the node device may determine whether it is thecollection timing or not again after a certain period of time haselapsed. Then, the node device sends a network information notificationmessage to which the collected network information is set to the serviceplatform 10 (S25). Steps S26 and S27 are the same as Steps S15 and S16in FIG. 3 and thus not redundantly described in detail.

As described above, by using the flow of the information collectionprocess according to the third exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, the node device can autonomously collect the networkinformation according to the network information collection timing thatis set to the collection policy. Therefore, the AS 20 can collect thenetwork information by notifying the service platform 10 of thecollection policy to which the collection timing is set at arbitrarytiming in advance, not at the timing to collect the network information,to the service platform 10.

Further, although the example in which the node device determines anetwork information collection opportunity is described in FIG. 3, theservice platform 10 that has received the collection policy maydetermine a network information collection opportunity. For example, theservice platform 10 may send a network information collection message tothe node device at the collection timing specified in the collectionpolicy. In this case, the node device receives the network informationcollection message and then collects the network information.

In this manner, when the network information collection timing isspecified by the AS 20, any one of the service platform 10 and the nodedevice may determine the collection timing.

Fourth Exemplary Embodiment

A flow of an information collection process in an information collectionsystem according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention is described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 5. First, theAS 20 sends a network information collection request message to theservice platform 10 (S31). For example, the AS 20 sets the collectionpolicy indicating the collection of position information of a certaincommunication terminal to the network information collection requestmessage. Further, the AS 20 sets information about position informationcollection timing to the network information collection request message.The position information collection timing may be information about acollection interval indicating the collection of position information atspecified time intervals, for example. Further, the AS 20 setsinformation about the timing to send the service information from theservice platform 10 to the AS 20. As the timing to send the serviceinformation, the service platform 10 may send the service information tothe AS 20 when the generated statistical information exceeds a specifieddata amount.

Steps S32 and S36 are the same as Steps S22 and S26 in FIG. 2 and thusnot redundantly described in detail. After generating the statisticalinformation in Step S36, the service platform 10 does not send theservice information to the AS 20 when the generated statisticalinformation does not reach the amount of data that is set in thecollection policy.

In Steps S37 and S38, the node device repeats the same processing as inSteps S34 and S35 based on the information about the collection timingthat is set to the network information collection request message.Further, the service platform 10 generates the statistical informationagain by using the network information sent in Step S38 and thestatistical information generated in Step S36 (S39). When thestatistical information generated in Step S39 reaches the amount of datathat is set in the collection policy, the service platform 10 sets thestatistical information generated in Step S39 as the service informationto a network information collection request response message and sendsit to the AS 20.

As described above, by using the flow of the information processingaccording to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention,the number of times to send the service information between the serviceplatform 10 and the AS 20 can be reduced. Therefore, the serviceplatform 10 can reduce the processing load by a decrease in processingof sending the service information. Further, the AS 20 can reduce theprocessing load by a decrease in processing of receiving the serviceinformation.

Fifth Exemplary Embodiment

The type of network information according to a fifth exemplaryembodiment of the present invention is described hereinafter. In theabove-described exemplary embodiments, the service platform 10 collectsthe network information of each node device, the network information ofeach communication terminal and the like. On the other hand, in thefifth exemplary embodiment, a plurality of node devices or a pluralityof communication terminals are grouped together, and the serviceplatform 10 collects the network information on a group-by-group basis.

For example, the node devices located in the same area may be sortedinto the same area group. In this case, the service platform 10 mayspecify an area group and acquire network information from all of thenode devices that belong to the same area group.

Alternatively, the node devices having the same function may be sortedinto the same function group. In this case, the service platform 10 mayspecify a function group and acquire network information from all of thenode devices that belong to the same function group.

Alternatively, the communication terminals of the same type may besorted into the same terminal group. For example, when the communicationterminal is a vehicle, the vehicles from the same manufacturer may besorted into one terminal group. In this case, the service platform 10may specify a terminal group and acquire the position information or thelike of the vehicles from the same manufacturer as the networkinformation.

The AS 20 may set, to the collection policy, a group to which thenetwork information to be collected belongs. For example, the AS 20specifies only the area to which the node device or the like as a targetto collect information belongs in some cases. In such a case, theservice platform 10 may manage the identifier of each group andassociate the area notified from the AS 20 with the identifier of agroup in advance. In this way, when an area is specified from the AS 20,the service platform 10 can collect the network information from thenode device or the like that belongs to the group associated with thespecified area

As described above, by grouping node devices, communication terminalsand the like and allowing the service platform 10 to collect the networkinformation on a group-by-group basis, it is possible to reduce thenumber of times the service platform 10 sends a message indicating thecollection of network information to a node device. It is therebypossible to reduce the amount of signals in the information collectionsystem.

Sixth Exemplary Embodiment

A flow of an information collection process in an information collectionsystem according to a sixth exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention is described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 6. First, anode device detects congestion (S51). The node device may detectcongestion when the amount of traffic processed in its device exceeds apredetermined value, or may collect information about the amount oftraffic from another device in the network and detect congestion whenthe collected traffic amount exceeds a predetermined value.

Next, the node device sends, to the service platform 10, a networkinformation notification message to which information indicating thedetection of congestion is set (S52). Then, the service platform 10selects the AS to which network congestion information is to be notified(S53). For example, the AS may send policy information indicating thatit is desired to be notified when network congestion is detected to theservice platform in advance. In this case, the service platform 10selects the AS that desires to be notified of congestion detection. Whena plurality of AS desire to be notified of congestion detection, theservice platform 10 may select the plurality of AS.

Then, the service platform 10 sends, to the selected AS, a networkinformation notification message to which information indicating thenetwork where congestion is detected is set (S54).

As described above, by using the flow of the information collectionprocess shown in this figure, when the node device detects a congestionstate, it can autonomously notify the AS of the detection of thecongestion state.

Seventh Exemplary Embodiment

A configuration example of a mobile communication network according to aseventh exemplary embodiment of the present invention is describedhereinafter with reference to FIG. 7. The case where a mobilecommunication network is used as one example of a plurality of networksshown in FIG. 1 is described hereinbelow. The mobile communicationnetwork of FIG. 7 is a mobile communication network specified by the3GPP.

The mobile communication network of FIG. 7 includes UE 41, eNB 42, MME43, E-SMLC 44, GMLC 45, HSS 46, MTC IWF entity 1, M2M service PF 50 andAS 51. The AS 51 corresponds to the AS 20 in FIG. 1. The M2M service PF50 corresponds to the service platform 10 in FIG. 1. The eNB 42, the MME43, the E-SMLC 44, the GMLC 45, the HSS 46 and the MTC IWF entity 1correspond to node devices in the network. The UE 41 corresponds to thecommunication terminals 21 to 23.

The eNB 42, the MME 43, the E-SMLC 44, the GMLC 45, the HSS 46 and theMTC IWF entity 1 are node devices that constitute the network thatimplements LCS (Location Service) that collects the position informationof the UE 41.

The AS 51 sends, to the M2M service PF 50, collection policy informationto which the collection of the position information of the UE 41 is set.The M2M service PF 50 selects the network that satisfies the collectionpolicy information that is sent from the AS 51. For example, the M2Mservice PF 50 selects the mobile communication network that includes theeNB 42, the MME 43, the E-SMLC 44, the GMLC 45, the HSS 46 and the MTCIWF entity 1 that can collect the position information of the UE 41.

The M2M service PF 50 sends a message requesting the collection of theposition information of the UE 41 to the MTC IWF entity 1. The MTC IWFentity 1 operates as LCS client. The LCS client is a device thatcollects the position information of a communication terminal in LCS. Inthis example, the MTC IWF entity 1 sends a message (for example, LCSService Request) that instructs the collection of position informationto the GMLC 45 in order to collect the position information of the UE 41as the LCS client.

When the collection of the position information of the UE 41 instructedby the MTC IWF entity 1, the GMLC 45 acquires information about the areawhere the UE 41 is located from the HSS 46. Further, the GMLC 45 sends amessage (for example, Provide Subscriber Location) that instructs thecollection of the position information of the UE 41 to the MME 43 thatmanages the area where the UE 41 is located.

When the collection of the position information of the UE 41 isinstructed, the MME 43 sends a message (for example, NAS LocationNotification invoke) that instructs the collection of the positioninformation to the UE 41 through the eNB 42. The UE 41 may measure theposition information of itself by using GPS function, for example. TheUE 41 sends information about a measurement result (for example, NASLocation Notification Return Result) to the MME 43 through the eNB 42.The MME 43 acquires the information about a measurement result from theUE 41 and then sends a message requesting the calculation of theposition information based on the measurement result to the E-SMLC 44.Then, the MME 43 acquires a calculation result of the positioninformation in the E-SMLC 44 and sends the acquired information (forexample, Provide Subscriber Location ack) to the GMLC 45. The GMLC 45sends the position information of the UE 41 that is sent from the MME 43to the MTC IWF entity 1.

In this manner, the MTC IWF entity 1 that operates as the LCS client cancollect the position information of the UE 41. The MTC IWF entity 1sends the collected position information of the UE 41 to the M2M servicePF 50, and the M2M service PF 50 sends the position information of theUE 41 to the AS 51.

In the foregoing, the operation related to MT-LR (Mobile TerminatedLocation Request) that measures the position of the UE 41 in response toa request from the LCS client and notifies the LCS client of themeasured result is described as a position information collection methodusing the mobile communication network of FIG. 7. Note that, however, aposition information collection method is not limited to MT-LR, andMO-LR (Mobile Originate Location Request) that the UE 41 autonomouslynotifies the LCS client of the current position of itself may be used,for example.

As described above, by using the mobile communication network accordingto the seventh exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the AS 51can acquire the position information of the UE collected by using LCSthrough the M2M service PF 50. Specifically, when collecting theposition information of a specific UE, the AS 51 notifies the M2Mservice PF 50 of the collection policy, and the M2M service PF 50selects the network that is appropriate to collect the positioninformation of the UE and collects the position information of the UEthrough the selected network. Thus, the AS 51 can collect the positioninformation by notifying the collection policy only without concern fora position information collection method in the network. In other words,the AS 51 can collect the position information of the UE by anappropriate position information collection method according to thecollection policy.

Eighth Exemplary Embodiment

FIG. 8 is a view showing a configuration example of a wirelesscommunication system according to an eighth exemplary embodiment. Thewireless communication system according to this exemplary embodiment isa wireless communication system of the 3GPP, which is, UMTS or EPS. Thewireless communication system in this figure is one example of thenetwork of FIG. 1. The EPS is referred to also as Long Term Evolution(LTE) system. A configuration where SCS 2 collects load information of anode device, which is a specific example of network information, isdescribed with reference to FIG. 8. The SCS 2 corresponds to the M2Mservice PF 50. Further, AS 4 corresponds to the AS 51.

UE3 executes MTC UE application 35 and acts as MTC device. The UE3 asthe MTC device connects to SGSN 54 or MME 55 through Radio AccessNetwork (RAN) 59 and also communicates with MTC application server 4.Note that the UE 3 may be MTC gateway device. The MTC gateway device has3GPP mobile communication function (which is, the function of UE) andconnects to a nearby device (for example, a sensor, a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag, a car navigation device) by personal/localarea connection technology. Specific examples of the personal/local areaconnection technology include IEEE 802.15, ZigBee, Bluetooth (registeredtrademark), and IEEE 802.11a. Note that, although the nearby device thatconnects to the MTC gateway device is typically a device without 3GPPmobile communication function, it may be a device with 3GPP mobilecommunication function (which is, MTC device).

Note that, in this specification, the term “MTC device” and the term“MTC gateway device” are used without distinguishing between them. Thus,the term “MTC device” used in this specification includes the term “MTCgateway device”. Accordingly, the UE 3 as the MTC device also means theUE 3 as the MTC gateway device.

The MTC-IWF entity 1 is an entity of a control plane that belongs toPLMN. The MTC-IWF entity 1 communicates with another network elementthrough a signaling interface (reference point). The MTC-IWF entity 1acts as an interface or a gateway of a control plane for M2M servicelayer including the SCS 2 and 3GPP PLMN interwork hiding the detail ofthe topology of 3GPP PLMN. Hereinafter, the signaling interface(reference point) of the MTC-IWF entity 1 and another network elementare described.

The MTC-IWF entity 1 communicates with the SCS 2 through Tsp referencepoint. The SCS 2 connects the MTC application server 4 to PLMN andthereby allows the MTC application server 4 to communicate with the UE 3(which is, MTC device) through PLMN service defined by the 3GPP.Further, the SCS 2 allows the MTC application server 4 to communicatewith the MTC-IWF entity 1. The SCS 2 is controlled by an operator ofPLMN or an MTC service provider. The SCS 2 is also called MTC server orM2M server. The SCS 2 may be a single independent physical entity or afunctional entity added to another network element (for example, the MTCapplication server 4). The Tsp reference point is used to send a devicetrigger send request (Device Opportunity Request (DTR)) from the SCS 2to the MTC-IWF entity 1 and to report of a device trigger result fromthe MTC-IWF entity 1 to the SCS 2.

The MTC-IWF entity 1 communicates with HSS 46 through S6 m referencepoint. The HSS 46 is a node of a control plane placed in a core networkof PLMN and manages subscriber information of the UE 3. The S6 mreference point is used to send an inquiry of subscriber informationfrom the MTC-IWF entity 1 to the HSS 46 and to send subscriberinformation from the HSS 46 to the MTC-IWF entity 1.

The MTC-IWF entity 1 communicates with SMS-SC 52 through T4 referencepoint. The SMS-SC 52 sends a Mobile Terminated (MT) short message to theUE 3 through SGSN 54, MME 55 or MSC 56, and receives a Mobile Originated(MO) short message from the UE 3. The T4 interface is used to send adevice trigger sending request (i.e. short message sending request) fromthe MTC-IWF entity 1 to the SMS-SC 52 and to send an acknowledgementmessage from the SMS-SC 52 to the MTC-IWF entity 1.

The MTC-IWF entity 1 communicates with Charging Data Function(CDF)/Charging Gateway Function (CGF) 53 through Rf reference point orGa reference point. The CDF in the CDF/CGF 53 receives charginginformation about a chargeable event generated by Charging OpportunityFunction (CTF) through the Rf reference point and generates ChargingData Record (CDR) for each predetermined charged party. Further, the CGFin the CDF/CGF 53 receives CDR from the CDF through the Ga referencepoint and sends the CDR to the charging system. Note that the chargeableevent is an activity that uses a resource or a service of acommunication network. The chargeable event is user to usercommunication (e.g. a single call, a data communication session or ashort message), user to network communication (e.g. service profileadministration), inter-network communication (e.g. transferring calls,signalling, or short messages), or mobility (e.g. roaming orinter-system handover), for example. The CDR is formatted charginginformation (e.g. a call time, a data transfer amount etc.). The MTC-IWFentity 1 includes CTF or CTF and CDF, for example. The CTF (not shown)included in the MTC-IWF entity 1 sends charging information to theCDF/CGF 53 through the Rf reference point. Further, the CDF (not shown)included in the MTC-IWF entity 1 sends the CDR to the CDF/CGF 53 throughthe Ga reference point.

The MTC-IWF entity 1 communicates with SGSN 54 through T5 a referencepoint. The SGSN 54 is a core network node of UMTS and has a user planefunction and a control plane function. The user plane function of theSGSN 54 has a tunneling interface (i.e. Iu-PS reference point) of a userplane with RAN 59 (i.e. UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN)),and has a tunneling interface (i.e. Gn reference point) of a user planewith Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN, i.e. GGSN/P-GW57). Then, the userplane function of the SGSN 54 transfers a user data packet of the UE 3with the RAN 59 and GGSN (GGSN/P-GW 57). The control plane function ofthe SGSN 54 performs mobility control (e.g. position registration) ofthe UE 3, bearer control (e.g. bearer establishment, bearer structurechange, bearer release) and the like. The control plane function of theSGSN 54 sends and receives a control message with a node (i.e. RadioNetwork Controller (RNC)) in the RAN 59, and sends and receives aNon-Access Stratum (NAS) message with the UE 3. The NAS message is acontrol message that is not terminated at the RAN 59 and sent andreceived between the UE 3 and the SGSN 54 in a user-transparent mannerwithout depending on a wireless access scheme of the RAN. Further, theSGSN 54 operates as a mobility anchor of the user plane at inter-RNChandover of the UE 3.

The MTC-IWF entity 1 communicates with MME 55 through T5 b referencepoint. The MME 55 is a core network node of EPS, and performs mobilitycontrol (e.g. position registration) of the UE 3, bearer control (e.g.bearer establishment, bearer structure change, bearer release) and thelike. The MME 55 sends and receives a control message with a node (i.e.eNodeB) in the RAN 59, and sends and receives a NAS message with the UE3. The NAS message is not terminated at the RAN 59 and sent and receivedbetween the UE 3 and the MME 55 in a user-transparent manner withoutdepending on a wireless access scheme of the RAN.

The MTC-IWF entity 1 communicates with MSC 56 through T5 c referencepoint. The MSC 56 is a node of Circuit-Switched (CS) service domain(i.e. Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)/Integrated ServicesDigital Network (ISDN)) placed in a core network. The MSC 56 performscall connection and call control in the CS service domain.

Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) is a core network node of UMTS. PacketData Network Gateway (P-GW) is a core network node of EPS. GGSN/P-GW 57means GGSN, P-GW or both of them. The GGSN/P-GW 57 is a packet transfernode of a user plane placed in a core network of PLMN and transfers auser data packet of the UE 3. The GGSN/P-GW 57 serves as a gateway withan external Packet Data Network (PDN) and provides connectivity with theexternal PDN to the the UE 3. Further, the GGSN/P-GW 57 has ChargingOpportunity Function (CTF), Charging Data Function (CDF), and Policy andCharging Enforcement Function (PCEF).

The GGSN/P-GW 57 as CTF collects charging information about a chargeableevent. Then, the GGSN/P-GW 57 as CDF generates Charging Data Record(CDR) for each predetermined charged party by using the collectedcharging information.

Further, the GGSN/P-GW 57 as PCEF performs Quality of Service (QoS)control and Flow Based bearer Charging (FBC) for each service data flow(i.e. IP packet flow) of the UE 3 in accordance with Policy and ChargingControl (PCC) rule supplied from Policy and Charging Rule Function(PCRF) 60. FBC is implemented by CTF, CDF and PCEF of the the GGSN/P-GW57. Specifically, the GGSN/P-GW 57 performs filtering of a service dataflow of the UE 3, monitors the service data flow as a chargeable eventthat triggers generation and close of CDR, counts the number of packetsof the service data flow, and generates CDR that contains the charginginformation related to the service data flow.

S-GW 58 is a packet transfer node placed in a core network of EPS. TheS-GW 58 has a tunneling interface (i.e. S1-U reference point) of a userplane with RAN 59 (i.e. Evolved UTRAN) and has a tunneling interface(i.e. S5/S8 reference point) of a user plane with P-GW (i.e. GGSN/P-GW57). Then, the S-GW 58 transfers a user data packet of the UE 3 with theRAN 59 and the P-GW (i.e. GGSN/P-GW57). Further, the S-GW 58 operates asa mobility anchor of the user plane at inter-eNodeB handover of the UE3.

PCRF 60 has a signaling interface 16 with the SCS 2. The PCRF 60 mayacquire load information of GGSN/P-GW 57, S-GW 58 or both of them byusing a signaling interface (i.e. Gx reference point) with the GGSN/P-GW57, a signaling interface (i.e. Gxc reference point) with the S-GW 58, asignaling interface with Traffic Detection Function (TDF: not shown), ora combination of those.

TDF has a deep packet inspection function. The TDF receives ApplicationDetection and Control (ADC) rule from PCRF 60 through Sd referencepoint, performs deep packet inspection on the user packet in accordancewith the ADC rule, and detects traffic of the application specified bythe ADC rule. Then, the TDF reports a detection result of traffic of theapplication to the PCRF 60 through the Sd reference point. Thus, the TDFcan detect traffic for each application and thereby detect the load onthe GGSN/P-GW 57 for each application.

In the example of FIG. 8, the SCS 2 receives load information of theGGSN/P-GW 57 or the S-GW 58 from the PCRF 60 through a signalinginterface 16 with the PCRF 60. The load information of GGSN, S-GW orP-GW indicates the load state of a user plane, a control plane, or bothof them in GGSN or P-GW. The load information of GGSN or P-GW indicatesthe number of transferred user data packets, the number of establishedtunnels, the number of established bearers, the number of stored bearercontext, or the number of processed control messages, for example.

Further, for example, when the MTC-IWF entity 1 has a signalinginterface with the GGSN/P-GW 57, the MTC-IWF entity 1 receives the loadinformation of GGSN or P-GW from the GGSN/P-GW 57 through the signalinginterface. The load information of GGSN or P-GW indicates the load stateof a user plane, a control plane, or both of them in GGSN or P-GW. Theload information of GGSN or P-GW indicates the number of transferreduser data packets, the number of established tunnels, the number ofestablished bearers, the number of stored bearer context, or the numberof processed control messages, for example. In such a case, the SCS 2receives the load information of GGSN or P-GW from the MTC-IWF entity 1.

Further, when the MTC-IWF entity 1 has a signaling interface with theS-GW 58, the MTC-IWF entity 1 receives the load information of the S-GW58 from the S-GW 58 through the signaling interface. The loadinformation of the S-GW indicates the load state of a user plane, acontrol plane, or both of them in the S-GW 58. The load information ofthe S-GW 58 indicates the number of transferred user data packets, thenumber of established tunnels, the number of established bearers, thenumber of stored bearer context, or the number of processed controlmessages. In such a case, the SCS 2 receives the load information of theS-GW 58 from the MTC-IWF entity 1.

Further, when the MTC-IWF entity 1 has a signaling interface with thePCRF 60, the MTC-IWF entity 1 receives the load information of theGGSN/P-GW 57 or the S-GW 58 from the PCRF.

Further, when the SCS 2 has a signaling interface with the GGSN/P-GW 57and the S-GW 58, the SCS 2 receives the load information of theGGSN/P-GW 57 or the S-GW 58 from the GGSN/P-GW 57 or the S-GW 58.

Although the SCS 2 is described as a device corresponding to the M2Mservice PF 50, this device is not limited to the SCS 2. For example, adevice corresponding to the M2M service PF 50 may be CSE (CommonServices Entity). CSE is a device having CSF (Common Services Function).CSE is a device that is defined in the M2M architecture specified by thestandardizing body oneM2M. CSF is a function that is defined in the M2Marchitecture specified by the standardizing body oneM2M. CSF mainlyanalyzes the collected data and determines processing to be performedbased on the analysis result. Further, in the M2M architecture specifiedby the oneM2M, an interface between a device having CSF and the AS 4 isdefined as X Reference Point, and an interface between a device havingCSF and the MTC-IWF entity 1 is defined as Z Reference Point. Further,in the 3GPP, the interface between the MTC-IWF entity 1 and a devicehaving CSF may be defined as TSP interface.

Although the present invention is described as a hardware configurationin the above exemplary embodiments, the present invention is not limitedthereto. The present invention may be implemented by causing a CPU(Central Processing Unit) to execute a computer program to perform theprocessing of the delivery device or the communication terminal.

In the above-described example, the program can be stored and providedto the computer using any type of non-transitory computer readablemedium. The non-transitory computer readable medium includes any type oftangible storage medium. Examples of the non-transitory computerreadable medium include magnetic storage media (such as floppy disks,magnetic tapes, hard disk drives, etc.), optical magnetic storage media(e.g. magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R/W,and semiconductor memories (such as mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM),EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc.). Theprogram may be provided to a computer using any type of transitorycomputer readable medium. Examples of the transitory computer readablemedium include electric signals, optical signals, and electromagneticwaves. The transitory computer readable medium can provide the programto a computer via a wired communication line such as an electric wire oroptical fiber or a wireless communication line.

It should be noted that the present invention is not restricted to theabove-described exemplary embodiment, and various changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the scope of theinvention.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to exemplary embodiments thereof, the invention is not limitedto these embodiments. It will be understood by those of ordinary skillin the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention asdefined by the claims.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese patent application No. 2013-172652, filed on Aug. 22, 2013, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1 MTC-IWF ENTITY

2 SCS

3 UE

4 AS

10 SERVICE PLATFORM

11 POLICY SETTING UNIT

12 NETWORK INFORMATION COLLECTION UNIT

20 AS

31 NETWORK

32 NETWORK

33 NETWORK

35 MTC UE APPLICATION

41 UE

42 eNB

43 MME

44 E-SMLC

45 GMLC

46 HSS

M2M SERVICE PF

51 AS

52 SMS-SC

53 CDF/CGF

54 SGSN

55 MME

56 MSC

57 GGSN/P-GW

58 S-GW

60 PCRF

The invention claimed is:
 1. A service platform comprising: at least onememory storing instructions, and at least one processor configured toexecute the instructions to: receive a first request message including afirst threshold sent from an application server; send a second requestmessage to at least one network function; receive a congestion reportfrom the at least one network function which monitors for a change in acongestion status related to a base station that is crossing a secondthreshold; derive a network information by combining the congestionreport; and send the network information to the application server, thefirst threshold indicating a range of the network information at whichthe application server wishes to be informed of the network information.2. The service platform according to claim 1, wherein the first requestmessage includes a time information for reporting the networkinformation.
 3. The service platform according to claim 2, wherein thetime information indicates time for which autonomous reporting of thenetwork information is requested.
 4. The service platform according toclaim 1, wherein the first request message includes an informationindicating an area, and the network function to which the serviceplatform sends the second request message is responsible for the area.5. The service platform according to claim 1, wherein the congestionreport includes the congestion status.
 6. The service platform accordingto claim 1, wherein the network information is a value of a congestionstatus.
 7. An application server comprising: at least one memory storinginstructions, and at least one processor configured to execute theinstructions to: send a first request message including a firstthreshold to a service platform, wherein a second request message issent from the service platform to at least one network function, acongestion report, sent from the at least one network function whichmonitors for a change in a congestion status related to a base stationthat is crossing a second threshold, is received by the serviceplatform, and a network information is derived by the service platformby combining the congestion report; and receive the network informationfrom the service platform, the first threshold indicating a range of thenetwork information at which the application server wishes to beinformed of the network information.
 8. The application server accordingto claim 7, wherein the first request message includes a timeinformation for reporting the network information.
 9. The applicationserver according to claim 8, wherein the time information indicates timefor which autonomous reporting of the network information is requested.10. The application server according to claim 7, wherein the firstrequest message includes an information indicating an area, and thenetwork function to which the service platform sends the second requestmessage is responsible for the area.
 11. The application serveraccording to claim 7, wherein the congestion report includes thecongestion status.
 12. The application server according to claim 7,wherein the network information is a value of a congestion status.
 13. Anetwork function comprising: at least one memory storing instructions,and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:receive a second request message sent from a service platform whichreceived a first request message including a first threshold from anapplication server; monitor for a change in a congestion status relatedto a base station that is crossing a second threshold; and send acongestion report to the service platform, wherein a network informationis derived by the service platform by combining the congestion report,and the network information is sent from the service platform to theapplication server, the first threshold indicating a range of thenetwork information at which the application server wishes to beinformed of the network information.
 14. The network function accordingto claim 13, wherein the first request message includes a timeinformation for reporting the network information.
 15. The networkfunction according to claim 14, wherein the time information indicatestime for which autonomous reporting of the network information isrequested.
 16. The network function according to claim 13, wherein thefirst request message includes an information indicating an area, andthe network function to which the service platform sends the secondrequest message is responsible for the area.
 17. The network functionaccording to claim 13, wherein the congestion report includes thecongestion status.
 18. The network function according to claim 13,wherein the network information is a value of a congestion status.
 19. Abase station in a system comprising at least the base station; anapplication server; a service platform; and at least one networkfunction, wherein a first request message including a first threshold issent from the application server to the service platform, a secondrequest message is sent from the service platform to the at least onenetwork function, a congestion report, sent from the at least onenetwork function which monitors for a change in a congestion statusrelated to the base station that is crossing a second threshold, isreceived by the service platform, a network information is derived bythe service platform by combining the congestion report, and the networkinformation is received by the application server from the serviceplatform, the first threshold indicating a range of the networkinformation at which the application server wishes to be informed of thenetwork information.
 20. The base station according to claim 19, whereinthe network information is a value of a congestion status.